According to our horror loving neighbors at Dread Central, George Romero is in the final stages of negotiations with New York publishers, Grand Central Publishing, to bring readers two novels that would take place within the filmmaker's "Dead" universe.

Considering this deal is still in negotiations it's probably a little premature to get too invested in the idea of original Romero novel, but I must say the notion is intriguing. The few zombie novels I have read have all been pretty great and maybe some of Romero's recent ideas that haven't translated so well on film would be better served in print.

If all goes well, the first book will be released in the summer of 2010.

Romero's "dead" films aren't about the living dead, they're about us--the living. They're about our culture, our values, how we adapt to change, and some inevitible truths of human nature. The zombies are merely a catalyst.

Personally, I have found value in ALL of Romero's "Dead" films. The origin of the hostility regarding "Land of the Dead" and "Diary of the Dead" is that the earlier films have spawned legions of know-it-all fanboys who have developed their own ideas about what George should or should not be doing with his movies, and they get angry when George makes the movie he wants to make. I think most fanboys just want to see George keep cranking out variations of "Dawn of the Dead."

George is the undisputed creator of the modern zombie archetype. It's his creation, his vision, his views and commentaries. He's NOT beholden to adhere to the fans' ideas.

Personally, I am looking forward to his forthcoming novel and I can't wait to see "Survival of the Dead." I hate that it will probably show in only a handful of theaters, none of which will be anywhere near me, so I'll have to endure the long wait for the DVD release. :-(

My ONLY complaint about the more recent films is that George has shied away from the excessive gore and horrifying scenes of people being eaten alive by corpses. I miss the rogue filmmaker who didn't give a damn about the MPAA and film ratings. But things have changed in the business and he does what he needs to to get his films out to us.

I just wish he'd film the excessive gore and violence and the scenes of the living being cannibalized (a terrifying notion), remove them for the theatrical release so the distributors are comfortable and can get their precious R rating, and then release a truly unrated DVD with all the over-the-top violent scenes cut back into the film.

Good luck, George! I'm behind you and supporting your work 110 percent!